A MONUMENTAL TESTAMENT TO HERITAGE

The former Thong Chai Medical Institution, prominently situated at 50 Eu Tong Sen Street, is a national monument and one of Singapore’s earliest symbols of community spirit. Featuring triple frontage along Eu Tong Sen Street, Merchant Road and New Market Road, the building stands as a rare example of Southern Chinese secular architecture and late 19th-century craftsmanship. Constructed in 1892 through donations from Chinese philanthropists and public subscription, the institution provided free medical care and herbal remedies, while also serving as a gathering place for Chinese guilds and public meetings. In 1906, it became the founding site of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce.

Gazetted as a national monument in 1973, the Thong Chai Building was among the first eight structures in Singapore to be officially preserved. After its relocation to Chin Swee Road in 1976, the government undertook extensive restoration works, and the site was reopened in 1979 as an arts and crafts centre, marking its transformation from a charitable medical institution into a treasured heritage landmark.